Abstract
Background:
Reducing fruit and vegetable (F&V) prices is a frequently considered policy to improve dietary habits in the context of health promotion. However, evidence on the effectiveness of this intervention is limited.
Objective:
The objective was to examine the effects of a 50% price discount on F&Vs or nutrition education or a combination of both on supermarket purchases.
Design:
A 6-mo randomized controlled trial within Dutch supermarkets was conducted. Regular supermarket shoppers were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions: 50% price discounts on F&Vs, nutrition education, 50% price discounts plus nutrition education, or no intervention. A total of 199 participants provided baseline data; 151 (76%) were included in the final analysis. F&V purchases were measured by using supermarket register receipts at baseline, at 1 mo after the start of the intervention, at 3 mo, at 6 mo (end of the intervention period), and 3 mo after the intervention ended (9 mo).
Results:
Adjusted multilevel models showed significantly higher F&V purchases (per household/2 wk) as a result of the price discount (+3.9 kg; 95% CI: 1.5, 6.3 kg) and the discount plus education intervention (+5.6 kg; 95% CI: 3.2, 7.9 kg) at 6 mo compared with control. Moreover, the percentage of participants who consumed recommended amounts of F&Vs (≥400 g/d) increased from 42.5% at baseline to 61.3% at 6 mo in both discount groups (P = 0.03). Education alone had no significant effect.
Conclusions:
Discounting F&Vs is a promising intervention strategy because it resulted in substantially higher F&V purchases, and no adverse effects were observed. Therefore, pricing strategies form an important focus for future interventions or policy. However, the long-term effects and the ultimate health outcomes require further investigation.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 886-895 |
Journal | American Journal of Clinical Nutrition |
Volume | 97 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Adult
- Commerce
- Diet
- Family Characteristics
- Female
- Fruit
- Health Education
- Health Promotion
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Netherlands
- Nutrition Policy
- Vegetables
- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't